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A 130-foot stone monolith has been discovered in the sea off of the Italian coast, that researchers say is at least 9,500 years old. The find was made during a high-resolution mapping survey of the seafloor off the coast of Sicily. The stone is in 40m (131 feet) of water, at a spot 60km (37 miles) south of the Italian island.

The regularly-shaped stone is 12m (39 feet) long and is estimated to weigh 15 tons. It has three 24-inch holes, two in it’s sides, and a third one at one end that passes completely through from one side to the other. While the monolith’s original function remains a mystery, one guess made by the researchers is that it may have been used as a lighthouse, with the hole in the end holding a torch as a beacon.
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Scientists now say their key tool for dating ancient artifacts might be wrong by 10,000 years, which could push back the timing of key events in history and improve our understanding of climate change and ancient civilizations.

Their study could force to rethink the dates when events occurred, especially the period when modern humans lived alongside Neanderthals in Europe. It suggests that modern humans might have lived in Europe far longer than thought and that prehistoric paintings recently found in the Chauvet cave, in southern France, might be 38,000 years old rather than the estimated 33,000 years.
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